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This Week in WAC Volleyball - Nov. 11

This Week in WAC Volleyball - Nov. 11

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This Week in WAC Volleyball - Nov. 11
IDAHO’S CHRISTMAN NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Idaho senior rightside hitter Ashley Christman has been named Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 4-10. This is her first-ever WAC Player of the Week honor.

The Christina Lake, British Columbia, native averaged WAC bests of 4.50 kills and 5.38 points to go along with 3.25 digs and 1.00 blocks per set last week. Christman posted career highs of 18 kills and 13 digs for her first career double-double, while hitting .353 and adding four blocks and a service ace in Idaho’s win over Seattle U. With the win, the Vandals jumped the Redhawks for fourth place in the WAC standings. Christman entered the week averaging 1.91 kills on .202 hitting, 1.43 digs and 0.77 blocks.

Other nominees included: Bakersfield’s Molly O’Hagan averaged 4.00 kills on .550 hitting as the Roadrunners went 1-0 on the week ... Mackenzie Phelps of Grand Canyon averaged 5.90 digs and 1.20 assists and became the Antelopes’ all-time career digs leader last week ... Kansas City’s Chloe Jarema averaged 2.75 kills, 1.00 digs and 0.88 blocks per set as the Kangaroos went 1-1 on the week ... Gwen Murphy of New Mexico State averaged 2.60 kills on .487 hitting and 1.40 blocks per set as the Aggies clinched at least a share of the WAC regular-season title ... Seattle U’s Stephanie Stoll averaged 2.25 kills on .364 hitting and 1.00 blocks per set ... Haley Durham of Texas-Pan American averaged 3.33 kills on .325 hitting, 0.67 digs and 0.50 blocks per set as the Broncs went 2-1 on the week ... Utah Valley’s Kalani Norris averaged 3.50 kills, 1.88 digs and 1.00 blocks per set as the Wolverines went undefeated last week.

WAC STAT LEADERS
Bakersfield leads the WAC in assists (13.47) and kills (14.13), while New Mexico State is tops in opponent hitting percentage (.141) and Grand Canyon leads the league in digs (17.33). Meanwhile, Idaho is tops in hitting percentage (.239), Kansas City leads the league in blocks (2.93) and Texas-Pan American is tops in service aces (1.46).
 
Individually, Bakersfield’s Debora Araujo leads the WAC in kills (3.85) and points (4.36), while teammate Fernanda Gonçalves leads the league in assists (10.23). Idaho’s Alyssa Schultz leads the WAC in hitting percentage (.369) and Utah Valley’s McKenna Tait is tops in service aces (0.44). Kansas City’s Emma Hagedorn leads the WAC in blocks (1.34), while Grand Canyon’s Mackenzie Phelps is tops in digs (5.54).

In WAC matches only, New Mexico State leads the league in hitting percentage (.266), opponent hitting percentage (.108) and blocks (2.92). Bakersfield is tops in assists (13.20), kills (13.90) and service aces (1.57), while Grand Canyon is tops in digs (18.02).

Individually in WAC matches, Seattle U’s Martina Samadan leads the WAC in hitting percentage (.478), while Bakersfield’s Araujo is tops in kills (3.92) and points (4.47). Gonçalves leads the league in assists (11.53), while Tait is tops in service aces (0.49). Utah Valley’s Lauren Stringham is tops in blocks (1.53), while Phelps leads the WAC in digs (5.36).

GRAND CANYON’S PHELPS BECOMES ALL-TIME DIGS LEADER
With 28 digs at Utah Valley on Nov. 7, Grand Canyon junior libero Mackenzie Phelps became the all-time program leader in digs. She now has 1,765 career digs, surpassing the previous record of 1,730 set by Laurann Durbin (2008-11).

WOLVERINES’ TAIT TIES SCHOOL CAREER SERVICE ACES RECORD
Utah Valley junior libero McKenna Tait, who currently leads the WAC in both service aces (48) and service aces per set (0.44), has 136 career service aces, tied with Kat Stevens (2007-10).

GRAND CANYON’S NABER PICKS UP 300TH CAREER VICTORY
With her team’s win over Texas-Pan American on Oct. 21, Grand Canyon head coach Kris Naber picked up her 300th career victory. The winningest coach in program history, Naber is now 301-260 (.537) over 19 years.

UTAH VALLEY’S HALL BECOMES ALL-TIME ASSISTS LEADER
Utah Valley senior setter Brookelyn Hall became the program’s all-time assist leader in the first set against Kansas City on Nov. 2, surpassing assistant coach Lacee Jones for the top spot. Hall now has 4,182 assists in her four years as a Wolverine.

GCU’S PHELPS BREAKS WAC RECORD FOR DIGS IN A MATCH
In a five-set loss to Central Connecticut State on Sept. 13, Grand Canyon junior libero Mackenzie Phelps set a Grand Canyon and WAC single-match record with 52 digs. Phelps broke the previous WAC record of 47 set by Jessie Shull of San Jose State during the 2006 season.

WAC TOURNAMENT TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Tickets for the 2013 WAC Volleyball Tournament, which will be held Nov. 25-27 at Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix, Ariz., are on sale now. All-session tickets, which are general admission seating and include admission to all five matches, are $23. Tickets can be purchased at www.gcuarena.com.

Single session tickets go on sale Monday, Nov. 25, at the arena box office.

2013 WAC TOURNAMENT
The 2013 WAC Volleyball Tournament will be held Nov. 25-27 at Grand Canyon Arena on the campus of Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Ariz., and will include the top six eligible teams in the regular-season standings.

WAC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Monday, Nov. 25 (First Round)
Match 1 - No. 6 seed vs. No. 3 seed, 5 p.m.
Match 2 - No. 5 seed vs. No. 4 seed, 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 26 (Semifinals)
Match 3 - Winner Match 1 vs. No. 2 seed, 5 p.m.
Match 4 - Winner Match 2 vs. No. 1 seed, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 27 (Championship)
Match 5 - Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4, 5 p.m.

TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
BAKERSFIELD ROADRUNNERS (17-10, 9-4 WAC)
The Roadruuners swept Grand Canyon (25-20, 25-9, 25-13) on Saturday in their only match last week ... Bakersfield had four players – Julia Bowen (.562), Molly O’Hagan (.550), Shayna Guitare (.333) and Debora Araujo (.333) – hit .333 or better on the match ... The ‘Runners committed just seven hitting errors on the match ... Guitare led all players with 13 kills, while O’Hagan had 12 and Araujo added 11 ... Fernanda Gonçalves had 44 assists and nine digs, while Mariah Alvidrez had a match-high 24 digs ... As a team, Bakersfield ranks 15th nationally in assists (13.47) and 25th in kills (14.13) ... Alvidrez ranks second in the WAC and 30th nationally in digs (5.05) ... Araujo leads the WAC in kills (3.85) and points (4.36), while Kelsee Sawyer ranks third in kills (3.09) and points (3.52) ... Gonçalves leads the WAC in assists (10.23), while O’Hagan is third in hitting percentage (.348) ... The Roadrunners host Loyola Marymount on Thursday, then play at Utah Valley on Saturday.

CHICAGO STATE COUGARS (2-27, 0-14 WAC)
The Cougars fell to Utah Valley (25-19, 14-25, 12-25, 17-25), Texas-Pan American (14-25, 24-26, 25-23, 22-25) and New Mexico State (18-25, 16-25, 13-25) last week ...  Against the Wolverines, Paula Sioto had a match-high 16 kills, while Julia Menhart posted a match-high 29 digs ... Mackenzie Lotter finished with 32 assists, while Chinwendu Ngwadom had six blocks ... Against the Broncs, Sioto posted a double-double of 21 kills and 10 digs ... Lotter tallied 37 assists, while Menhart had a match-high 17 digs ... Against the Aggies, Sioto had 10 kills, while Lotter dished out 23 assists ... Sioto, who ranks second in the WAC in kills (3.61) and points (4.03), has recorded double-digit kills in 14 of the Cougars’ last 18 matches ... Lotter ranks sixth in the conference in assists (8.95) ... Sioto has 357 kills so far this season, the most Stacey Cole had 402 kills in 2003 ... Chicago State hosts Idaho on Thursday and Seattle U on Saturday to close out the season.

GRAND CANYON ANTELOPES (9-17, 3-10 WAC)
The Antelopes fell to New Mexico State (20-25, 20-25, 20-25), Utah Valley (25-22, 20-25, 22-25, 21-25) and Bakersfield (20-25, 9-25, 13-25) last week ... Against the Wolverines, Hayleigh Friemoth posted her fourth double-double of the season with a match-high 19 kills and 14 digs ... Lanie Muys added 13 kills and seven blocks, while Kaitlynn Ausmus finished with 11 kills ... Kristen Johannsen had a match-high nine blocks, while Mackenzie Phelps tallied 28 digs to become the all-time career digs leader at GCU ... Against the Roadrunners, Phelps finished with 17 digs to move her career total to 1,765 over three years ... Phelps leads the league in digs (5.54), while Ausmus ranks ninth in kills (2.59) ... As a team, Grand Canyon leads the conference in digs (17.33) ... Grand Canyon will play its final five matches at home, beginning with Friday’s contest against Texas Pan-American, its only match this week.

IDAHO VANDALS (15-10, 8-5 WAC)
The Vandals defeated Seattle U in four sets (25-15, 19-25, 25-18, 25-16) last Friday in their only match of the week ... Ashley Christman led all players with career highs of 18 kills and 13 digs for her first career double-double ... Jessica Hastriter tallied 12 kills, while Meredith Coba finished with 40 assists ... Katelyn Peterson and Jenna Ellis posted 14 digs apiece ... Idaho leads the league in hitting percentage (.239), ranks third in kills (12.48), and fourth in both blocks (2.35) and service aces (1.26) ... Alyssa Schultz leads the WAC in hitting percentage (.369), ranks fourth in blocks (1.15) and 10th in points (3.22) ... Coba ranks second in the league in assists (9.98), while Michele Brown is second in aces (0.33) and Ellis is fifth in digs (4.00) ... Hastriter ranks fourth in the WAC in kills (3.05) and ninth in points (3.24), while Taylor Wilkinson is fifth in hitting percentage (.294) and sixth in blocks (1.05) ... Idaho plays at Chicago State on Thursday and at Kansas City on Saturday.

KANSAS CITY KANGAROOS (14-12, 8-6 WAC)
The Kangaroos fell at New Mexico State (28-26, 18-25, 20-25, 15-25) last Thursday before defeating Texas-Pan American (25-18, 17-25, 25-18, 25-15) on Saturday ... Against the Aggies, Chloe Jarema had  15 kills, while Kaylyn Brandt had a double-double with 16 assists and 11 digs, and Taryn Miller had a match-high 17 digs ... Against the Broncs, Sydney Crimmins had 13 kills and 19 digs for her eighth double-double of the year ... Jessica Hendin also doubled up with 13 kills and 10 digs ... Brandt posted her ninth double-double of the season with 28 assists and 12 digs ... In the UTPA match, Hagedorn set the school record for block assists in a season (118) ... Miller’s 472 digs this season currently rank as the sixth-most in school history, while the sophomore became the eighth player in program history to surpass the 1,000-dig plateau vs. the Aggies and now has 1,012 ... The ‘Roos rank sixth in the nation in blocks (2.93) and 41st in digs (16.31) ... Hagedorn leads the WAC and ranks 24th nationally in blocks (1.34) ... The ‘Roos host Seattle U on Thursday and Idaho on Saturday.

NEW MEXICO STATE AGGIES (18-10, 13-2 WAC)
The Aggies defeated Grand Canyon (25-20, 25-20, 25-20), Kansas City (26-28, 25-18, 25-20, 25-15) and Chicago State (25-18, 25-16, 25-13) last week to claim at least a share of the regular-season title ... Against the Antelopes, Desiree Scott led all players with 14 kills, while Bradley Nash had a match-high 17 digs ... Against the ‘Roos, Nash had 13 kills and 10 digs for her sixth double-double of the season ... Scott added 12 kills and seven blocks, while Stephanie Ziegler posted her first double-double of the season with 10 kills and 13 digs ... Ciara Brown also doubled up for the first time this season, posting 31 assists and 13 digs ... Against the Cougars, Nash led the Aggies with nine kills, seven digs and four service aces ... The Aggies lead the WAC in opponent hitting percentage (.141), and rank second in hitting percentage (.225), assists (11.75), kills (12.79) and blocks (2.51) ... The Aggies host UTEP for a non-conference match on Tuesday in their only match this week.

SEATTLE U REDHAWKS (11-18, 8-6 WAC)
The Redhawks fell at Idaho (15-25, 25-19, 18-25, 16-25) last Friday in their only match of the week ... Stephanie Stoll and Sarah Jaeckel had nine kills each ... Kerry Lane posted her third double-double of the season with 36 assists and 10 digs, while Lani Beadle had a match-high 18 digs ... Allison Farley passed the 70 block mark for the fourth consecutive season, leading the Redhawks with 74 total blocks this season and 292 on her career ... Iris Ivanis ranks fifth in the WAC in kills (3.00) and points (3.44), and ninth in service aces (0.27) ... Lane is fourth in the WAC in assists (9.31), while Beadle is sixth in digs (3.38) ... With two WAC matches remaining, Seattle U has doubled its conference win total from a year ago ... The Redhawks conclude the regular season with road matches at Kansas City on Thursday and at Chicago State on Saturday. Seattle U will then have nine days off before it next match in the first round of the WAC Tournament in Phoenix on Nov. 25.

TEXAS-PAN AMERICAN BRONCS (13-18, 2-12 WAC)
The Broncs defeated Texas Southern (25-17, 25-21, 22-25, 25-18) and Chicago State (25-14, 26-24, 23-25, 25-22) before falling to Kansas City (18-25, 25-17, 18-25, 15-25) last week ... In the win over Texas Southern, Haley Durham led all players with a career-high 16 kills on .444 hitting and four blocks, while Alisha Watson added 13 kills ... Nycole Masaki finished with 47 assists and seven digs, while Shanice Faison had a match-high 17 digs ... Against the Cougars, Maria Kliefoth had 15 kills on .583 hitting and five blocks ... Durham added 14 kills, while  Watson posted a double-double of 10 kills and 11 digs ... Masaki dished out 46 assists, while Krysta Freitas had a team-best 15 digs ... Against the ‘Roos, Durham had 10 kills, Masaki dished out 29 assists and Faison had 15 digs ... UTPA leads the WAC in service aces (1.46) and ranks fourth in digs (14.16) ... The Broncs play at Grand Canyon on Friday in their only match this week.

UTAH VALLEY WOLVERINES (18-12, 11-3 WAC)
The Wolverines defeated Chicago State (19-25, 25-14, 25-12, 25-17) and Grand Canyon (22-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-21) last week ... Against the Cougars, Cassie Wahlin and Kalani Norris had 12 kills each, while Norris added seven blocks ... Lauren Stringham was just shy of a double-double with 10 kills and nine blocks, while Brookelyn Hall doubled up with 36 assists and 15 digs to go along with five blocks ... Against the Antelopes, Norris had 16 kills and 10 digs for her fourth double-double of the season ... Katie Fritzler added 12 kills, while Hall had her ninth double-double of the year with 43 assists and 18 digs ... McKenna Tait had 28 digs and four service aces to tie the school record with 136 career aces ... The Wolverines have now won five in a row and seven of their last eight matches ... Tait leads the WAC and ranks 21st nationally with 0.44 service aces a set ... Utah Valley hosts Bakersfield on Saturday in their only match this week.